CARLSBAD, Calif. -- A mentally ill drifter suspected of hacking his elderly parents to death in their North County home was on the loose Friday, and authorities asked for the public's help in finding him.

Dennis Brian Gluck, 45, is believed to have fled to Baja California following the slayings of his parents, Harry and Jean Gluck of Carlsbad, according to police.

The bodies of the 90-year-old man and 77-year-old woman were found Jan. 18, said Lt. Kelly Cain.

The couple died of "chop" wounds to their upper bodies, according to an autopsy.

Dennis Gluck was once arrested for threatening someone with a machete while he was homeless in Oceanside, according to Cain.

Gluck, who is mentally ill, had been staying with his parents and Jean Gluck's elderly brother for several months prior to the slayings, the lieutenant said.

"He was an invited guest, apparently, at their home," he said.

Nine days after the bodies were found, the suspect's car was found in Ensenada, Mexico and an arrest warrant was issued charging him with two counts of murder.

Gluck is white, 5 feet 8 inches tall and about 150 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes. Anyone with information on his whereabouts was asked to call the U.S. Marshals Service at 800-336-0102.